Method of packaging



Aug; 16, 1932. w. E. PARSONS ET AL 0 I METHOD OF PACKAGING Original Filed Feb. 4, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l W banal/111i 1 I n; g, W'allqmllhnmza I" l'z'wuzfiboody,

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METHOD OF PACKAGING Original Filed Feb. 4, 1929 2 Sheets-Shegt 2 lzulelztol's WallaoeEPammn: fiwinfifllnuiy Patented Aug. 16, 1932 PATENT OFFICE WALLACE E. PARSONS, OF WATERVILLE, AND EBWIN H. BOODY, OF-PORTLAND, MAINE, ASSIGNOBS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO FIDELITY TRUST COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE, TRUSTEE METHOD OF PACKAGING Original application filed February 4, 1929, Serial No. 837,196. Divided and this application filed December 4, 1929.

The present application is a division of our earlier application, Serial No. 337,196, filed Feb. 4,1929, which has now become Patent No. 1,743,085, granted January 7 1930, and relates to the method of producing the novel package described and claimed in sa1d patent. Such package is primarily intended for use in the storage, delivery and shipment of certain food containers, such as plates, dishes, 10 and the like, and particularly molded pulp plates and dishes of the single use, throwaway type.

For the purposes of this discussion, and without thereby limiting our present invention to any particular field, we would point out that with food containers of this type it is of the utmost importance that every precaution shall be taken to protect the containers not only against damage, but particularly against contamination during handling, storage, shipment and delivery. This not only necessitates a package which will be strong enough to withstand the rough us- I age incidental to handling and shipment, but one in which the articles themselves are so wrapped and sealed as to avoid all possibility of exposure to contamination from without, so that the articles will reach the user in proper condition, both as to preservationof article shape and as to freedom from contamination.

t In respect to the first of these requirements, viz; that the article shape shall be preserved, it will be borne in mind that being die-molded from wet pulp, the articles are peculiarly susceptible to deformation in packaging and shipment, being relatively easily bent or cut at their edges, particularly when nested and tied in a stack.

In respect to the second of these requirements, viz; that the articles shall be so pack aged as to be protected from contamination, it is obvious that anything less than complete protection against contamination is unsatisfactory in an article which is to be used as a food container and which from its very nature cannot be washed before use.

In the case of the wet laid molded" pulp article, moreover, the articles are character- Serial No. 411,509.

ized by an initial tendency to expand axially when compressed endwise into stack form,

due to the fact that under usual conditions of manufacture, drying and packaging, they are at the moment of packaging still more or less incompletely dried and hence the stack tends to spring back to original length upon release of thedongitudinal compression.

This inherent tendency of the stack to expand endwise upon release of the longitudinal c9 compression in itself constitutes a problem in wrapping the stack, due to the difiiculty of maintaining the live stack in compacted condition during the wrapping and sealing operations.

It has been the practice, heretofore to assemble the food containers in a stack, enclose such stack in a wrapper, and tie the wrapped stack with twine. In such a package, however, the twine tie is wholly inadequate properly to close the stack, and consequently dirt, dust and other foreign matter could enter the package and reach the containers, not only through the ends of the package, but also along the sides of the package where the ends of the wrapping sheet overlapped each other.

This type of package, moreover, was subject to tearing at the overlapping edges of the wrapping sheet with'consequent exposure of the edges of the food containers to contamination, as well as liability of cutting the container edges by the twine in tying. Moreover, where the stack was first tied and afterwards enclosed in the wrapping. sheet, the twine formed ridges between the edges of the food containers and the wrapping sheet which cut into the edges of the containers when the twine was drawn tightly and in any case the physical presence of the twine itself between the containers and the wrapper formed ridges which made for tearing of the wrapper and detracted from the desired smooth, unwrinkled appearance of the package itself.

Our present invention consists in the meth 0d of packaging by which the package described and claimed in our said earlier patent is produced. This package is a storage, delivery and shipping package which is characterized by being completel sealed against the ingress of dirt, dust ant? other contaminatin matter so that the food containers may delivered to the points of use in a i more clean and sanitary condition and more adequately protected against injury in handling an transit than has heretofore been possible.

Accordin to our method, we assemble a plurality 0 articles, such as molded pulp plates or dishes, under compression in a stack and thentightly roll about said stack a wrapping sheet of suflicientstrength to hold the articles in alignment. We seal the longitudi- 16 nal edgggf the wrapping sheet to the underlying y portion of the sheet so that the wrapper hes around the stack as a circumferentially confining open ended tubular stack envelopment with its lap or joint closed 1 against the ingress of dirt, dust or other forelgn matter by reason of such longitudinal seal, and end sealing members are a plied over the endmost articles of the stac and sealed to the end portions of the wrapping sheet so as to close the ends of the stack.

This results in a package in which the end sealing members and the wrapper cooperate with each other to form a substantially dust tight protective enclosure which completely envelops the stack and is sealed at its ends and along one longitudinal edge as a compietely enclosing stack envelopment efi'ective th to prevent the entrance of foreign matter into the stack at any point and to restrain the stack against axial expansion upon release of'the longitudinal compression.

Preferably the overlapping edges of the wrapping sheet are sealed by a strip of sealing tape which not only acts as a closure for the wra per .joint or seam at this point, but where t e ends of said strip are carried across the ends of the stack and themselves sealed down to the. opposite wrapper also serves to con e the stack against longitudinal expansion after the com ression-has been released. When packaged in this manner the end sealing members are appliedover the ends of the sealing strip under sufiicient compresslon to wipe their adhesively coated inner faces into seali contact with the wrapper ends.

In the'accompanying drawings we illustrate somewhat diagrammatically the several steps in the practice of our method, together with the resultant product of the method. Fig. I is a section through a stack of plates before compaction.

Fig. II a similar section through such a stack after compaction. I

Fig. III a view showing the wrapper being applied to the stack.

Fig. IV shows the stack wrapped and seased at the lap or joint of the wrapper en ortion of the v the tape over the ends of the stack as shown and Fig. VIII one of the plural units wrapped 76 in accordance with our method removed from the pack.

We have indicated at P in Fig. II a plurality of compressible articles, as pie plates, which are initially assembled as a relatively loosely nested stack before compaction. If desired one or more of the lates at one end of the stack may be reverse with respect to the main assemblage, as indicated at P, thus preventing convex heads at both ends of the package when completed.

After assemblage into a stak the plates are subjected to compaction. This compaction is accomplished by compressing the stack longitudinally from either end as indicated by the arrows A-A in Fig. II under which compression the plates or other articles are brought to substantially uniform alignment. Such compaction moreover gives to the stack a resistance to rough handlingh even when wrapped in a comparatively t in sheet or wrapper W.

Such wrapper W may be applied circumferentially about the stack as shown in Fig. III while the stack is held under end pressure as indicated at a, the longitudinal edge of such wrapper being overlapped upon and sealed to the underlying body portion of the sheet whereby to enclose the stack as a circumferentially confining open ended tubular stack envelopment. The overlappin edges ofthe wrapper may be sealed to eac other in any desired manner as by applying thereto a band of adhesive or as shown in Fig. IV by means of a strip of adhesive tape T. In either instance the lap or joint is sealed against the ingress of dirt or other foreign matter.

Where a strip of sealing tape T is used, the ends of the tape may be extended across the ends of the stack and sealed down on the covering sheet at the side opposite the lap 'or joint thereof as indicated at T. In order to permit the operator to bend the ends of in Fig. IV, each compression head a is di- 1 vided to leave a space therebetween of sufficient width to enable-the tape -tobe passed. through theopening between such head and the adjacent package end and to be sealed tothe opposite side of the package. The sections of the divided head are secured together by a tie bar or yoke b which is provided with an actuatin rod or "bar 0 by means of. which the sectlons of the divided ends of the stack and sealed down to the opposite side of the stack. Where so extended and scaled. down, the tape ends hold the stack assembly against expansion during the subsequent operation of applying the end sealing closures to the ends of the stack.

Such closures consist of a pair of adhesively coated discs D of paper or the like of greater diameter than the diameter of the stack and are adapted to be brought up against the ends of the stack under suflicient pressure as indicated by the arrows A'- in Fig. V to turn their margins down over the projecting ends of the wrapper as indicattild in Fig. VI for sealing contact therewit This converts the compacted and wrapped stackinto a double sealed package in which the end sealing members cooperate with the wrapper itself to form therewith a substantially dust tight protective inclosure completely enveloping the stack and sealed at its ends and along one longitudinal edge so as both to restrain the stack against axial expansion upon release of the longitudinal compression and to prevent the entrance of foreign matter into the stack either at its ends .or at the lap or joint of the wrapper. So

sealed and wrapped the package is practically dirt and dust proof as well as strong enough to resist handling strains. I

The packsmay contain any size or number of articles, such packs being in one characteristic form of one hundred plates. Instead, however, of making the pack a single unit, it may in one form of our invention be made up as a plural unit as illustrated in Fig. VII. In this figure we have illustrated five small packs indicated b the reference letter U. These sub-units are illustrated in Fig. VIII and are generally packed under the same method before described, with the exception that we preferably do not reverse an end'plate as indicated at P in Fig. II, but wrap and end seal the stack ofplates so that the unit U instead of being convex at both ends, is convex at one end and concaved at the other. In this way the plural units U interengage and articulate so that they are held in alignment and cannot be laterally dislodged by any ordinary handling. We, however, preferably reverse one end unit as indicated at U in Fig. VII, so as to give a convexity to both ends of the multiple unit. In such multiple unit pack the exterior wrapper W is applied and sealed at its lap or joint as at'T by the same method as with the unitary pack, and

the end-discs D are put on in the same way.

Such a multiple unltis of great convenience where the enclosed ware is to be retailed for private use, as for example, picnic plates. The dealer is able by simply breaking the outer sheet W of such a plural pack to hand to the customer a sealed unit U of say fifty plates, which may be kept sealed by the customeruntil they are desired for use. This is not only a great convenience in handling, but gives the individual user a sealed and sanitary pack which may be transported and handled without danger of having the contents contaminated.

For greater convenience in opening such a multiple unit pack, we may provide a rip string S (Fig. VII) for cutting the outer wrapper W Such string may have one .end S secured beneath the sealing tape T for the hip joint of this wrapper. The string is then carried towards the opposite end of the wrapper W being staggered to avoid the tape I and laps of the wrapper and thus to reduce the number of thicknesses of material which must be torn through. The string is exposed at its free end as a grasping portion S Preferably also we print directly on the outer faces of the end sealing discs D or D the usual identifying data as to the contents of the package. This avoids the necessity for applying a separate label'on the side of the is one of great practical value and of demonstrated efliciency.

What we therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The method of packaging a plurality of similar articles which are compressible in a stack assembly, which consists in assembling such articles as'a stack, in longitudinally compressing said stack to compact the articles, in tightly rolling said compressed stack in an enveloping sheet, in securing the edges of said enveloping sheet to each other to close the sheet about the stack as 'an open ended stack envelopment, and in ap lying over the open ends of the stack enve opment a palr of closing members which cooperate with said sheet to form thereof a substantially du'sttight protective enclosure which is sealed at its ends and along one longitudinal edge and which completely envelops the. stack and is effective both to restrain the individual articles in the stack against separation upon rewrapper, as has heretofore been the practice, l

lease of the longitudinal compression and to prevent the entrance of foreign matter into compressing said stack to compact the articles, in tightly rolling said compressed stack in an enveloping sheet, in applying a sealing tape to the longitudinal edges of said sheet to seal the same together, in applying to the ends of the stack a air of flat end closures, and in bending and sealing the peripheral portions of said end closures over the ends of said sheet to form with said sheet asubstantially dust tight enclosurewhich is sealed at its ends and along one longitudinal edge and which completely envelops the stack and is eifective bothto restrain the individual articles in the stack against separation upon release of the longitudinal compression and to prevent the entrance of foreign matter into the stack.

3. The method of packaging a plurality of similar articles which are compressible in a stack assembly, which consists in assembling such articles as a stack, in longitudinalv ly compressing said stack to compact the articles, in tightly rolling said compressed stack in an envelo ing sheet, in applying a sealing tape to the ongitudinal edges of said sheet to seal the sametogether, in carrying the ends of said tape across the stack ends and sealing the tape ends to the opposite side of said sheet, in applying to the ends of the stack a pair of flattened closures, and in bending and sealing the peripheral portions of said end closures over the ends of said sheet to form with said sheet a substantially dust tight enclosure which is sealed at its ends and along one longitudinal edge and which completely envelops the stack and is effective both to restrain the individual artisealing the slitted portions of said end closures over the ends of said sheet to form with said sheet a substantially dust tight enclosure which is sealed at its ends and along one longitudinal edge and which completely envelops the stack and is efiective both to restrain the individual articles in the stack against separationupon release of the longitudinal compression and to prevent the entrance of foreign matter into the stack.

5. The method of packaging a plurality of similar articles which are compressible" in a stack assembly, which-consists in assembling such articles as a stack, in longitudinally compressing said stack to compact the articles, in tightly rolling said compresed stack in an enveloping sheet, in securing the longitudinal edges of said sheet together, in

applying to the ends of the stack a pair of fiat end closures having slitted peripheral portions initially disposed in a plane at substantially right angles to the stack axis and extending beyond the periphery of the stack, and in bending and sealing the slitted portions of said end closures over the ends of said sheet to form with said sheet a substantially dust tight enclosure which is sealed tures.

WALLACE E. PARSONS. ERWIN H. BOODY.

cles in the stack against separation upon release of the longitudinal compression and to prevent the entrance of foreign matter. into i the stack. 7

4. The method of packaging" a plurality of similar articles which are compressible in a stack assembly, which consists in assemblying such articles as a stack, in longitudinally compressing said stack to compact the articles, in tightly rolling said compressed stack in an enveloping sheet,in applying-a sealing tape to the longitudinal edgesof said sheet, to seal the same together, in carrying the endsof said tape across the stack ends and sealing the tape ends to the opposite side of said sheet, in applying to the ends of the stack a pair of fiat end closures having slitted peripheral portions initially disposed in a plane at substantially right angles to the stack axis and extending beyond the periphery of the stack, and in bending and 

